Computational Sustainability and Artificial Intelligence in the Developing World

Despite some difficult problems in such places, a period of enormous technologydriven change has created new opportunities to address poor management of resources and improve human wellbeing. As just one example of the possibilities, however, take road traffic in cities. The chaotic and spectacular road congestion that is characteristic of developing-world cities is a microcosm of opportunities for applying AI methods. The problems are mainly caused by inadequate infrastructure (for example, road layouts that have not changed significantly despite decades of economic growth, unsealed or pothole-strewn roads), and a lack of resources to monitor or control traffic (for example, scarce and possibly corrupt traffic police, rolling blackouts affecting traffic lights). Any such solution must take into account the unique nature of traffic in these places, where the assumptions made in developed-world intelligent transport systems -- for example, that drivers travel in the correct direction, and only on the road -- might not be valid.